Chapter 84 Second Brother, Let's Fight!
"Why not go?" Minister Zheng asked in surprise. All the officials in the court were trying to bring their relatives to witness the magnificent scene of the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai. This was the first time he had seen someone give the opportunity but refuse it.
"We'll be gone for over a year. If we all leave, the academy will be left unattended, wasting the time of forty apprentices," Meng Qing said. She looked at Minister Zheng and said, "The paper offerings will appear at the Fengshan ceremony. As soon as they show up, the people of Chang'an will instantly accept these funerary objects. This will be the best opportunity to spread paper offerings to the people. If I leave, who will be in charge? The officials of the Ministry of Rites don't understand religious beliefs. The craftsmen of the Imperial Household Department might be able to do it, but will they be dedicated?"
Vice Minister Zheng remained silent.
“Since its establishment, the Yishu (charitable academy) has barely made any money after deducting various expenses. In the last two months, after monopolizing the paper offerings for the Fengshan ceremony, the Yishu has had no income at all. If this continues, the theatrical performance you arranged for officials from the six ministries to perform will have been a waste. Having missed the best opportunity for development, it will be very difficult to pick up the business of purchasing through donations again in a year or so,” Meng Qing analyzed unhurriedly.
Only then did Minister Zheng look at the woman properly. He said solemnly, "I am not as careful as you, my teacher. What you say is absolutely right."
"You flatter me, sir. I come from a merchant family and have been dealing with business for many years, so I'm quite sensitive to economics," Meng Qing smiled. "This Qingniao Paper Craft School is a joint venture between me and the Ministry of Rites. For a commoner like me, born into a merchant family, to receive such good fortune is truly a blessing from my ancestors. I should be content. I'm very satisfied that I've managed the school so successfully. As the Emperor is going to Mount Tai for the Fengshan ceremony, I, a mere commoner, wouldn't be of much use if I went along. In fact, I would only take up space. So, my family of three will stay in Chang'an to oversee the school. When you return, sir, please come and inspect the results of my efforts."
"Your Excellency is truly righteous!" Minister Zheng shouted. He glanced down at the boat and said meaningfully, "I promise you here today that if you can truly make the free school famous and renowned, I, Zheng, on behalf of the Ministry of Rites, will owe you a favor."
Du Min was astonished; Zheng Shilang's favor was far more valuable than Chen Yuanwai's.
Meng Qing's face lit up with a smile. She squatted down and bowed, saying happily, "I appreciate this favor."
Minister Zheng laughed heartily.
"My lord, the gentlemen have almost finished their discussion in the front courtyard and are now awaiting your decision," a servant of Minister Zheng relayed.
Vice Minister Zheng nodded to indicate that he understood, but he was in no hurry to leave. He inquired carefully, "Are there any requirements for copying the Buddhist scriptures? Approximately how many pages should I copy?"
“I heard from Du Min that there are two most solemn sacrifices in the Fengshan ceremony: the Fengsi Altar and the Jiangshan Altar, which are presided over by the Emperor and Empress respectively. Each sacrifice includes one set of three kinds of sacrificial animals. I am considering using paper effigies of Buddhist verses for these two sets of offerings, and to prevent any accidents, we should also prepare an extra set as a backup. A paper ox requires 500 sheets of paper, a paper sheep requires 300 sheets, and a paper pig requires 360 sheets, for a total of 3,500 sheets of Buddhist verses.” Before Minister Zheng could complain about the amount, she continued to make further requests: “The paper effigies need to be mounted with seven layers of paper. For example, a paper ox requires about 70 sheets of paper per layer. This means that the same characters must be written on each of the seven layers of paper, and the size and strokes of the characters must be exactly the same.”
Zheng Shilang understood. Although the requirements were numerous, they were not difficult for him. He had advisors who could easily imitate his handwriting.
"As for the appropriate font size for pigs, cows, and sheep, I need to spend five or six days comparing and selecting. Once I have the best result, I will have Du Min send you the sample," Meng Qing said.
Minister Zheng nodded in satisfaction. He glanced at Du Min and said, "With a sister-in-law like this, it's no wonder that Du Min is so thorough in his actions."
Du Min was overjoyed. He smiled humbly and said, "Your Excellency has excellent judgment. I was taught by my second sister-in-law."
Hearing this from under the eaves, Du Li rolled her eyes inwardly. Shameless! Meng Qing had only been his sister-in-law for a few years.
The servant trotted in again, and Minister Zheng glanced at him and said, "We can't wait outside any longer, let's go out."
Du Min followed closely behind, while Meng Qing took Wang Zhou's hand and strolled along. As they passed Du Li, she winked at him triumphantly.
Du Li smiled, took Wang Zhou's other hand, and the three of them walked out together.
Du Min glanced back halfway through and gave a disdainful snort.
“My lord, we have reached an agreement. The black ox, black pig, and black sheep will be offered to the Five Gods, while the bronze ox and sheep, and the black pig, will be offered to the sun, moon, stars, mountains, rivers, forests, and marshes.” Doctor Cui pointed to the two rows of sacrificial animals and said, “Please take another look and see if it is appropriate.”
"As you wish." Since he had a great opportunity to shine, Minister Zheng stopped bothering with this.
“Master Meng, the next task is entrusted to you,” said Minister Zheng, turning around.
"Don't worry, sir, I will definitely take care of it," Meng Qing assured him.
Doctor Cui glanced at Meng Qing in surprise, then changed his words: "Master Meng, if there's anything you're unsure about, have Du Min ask me."
Meng Qing should be right.
No sooner had Du Min seen off the Ministry of Rites officials than he chased after them to the backyard and asked, "Second sister-in-law, are you really going to give up the opportunity to see the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai in order to oversee the school? You should know that this is a once-in-a-century opportunity, and you'll regret it for the rest of your life if you miss it."
"No regrets." Meng Qing shook his head firmly. "We are just small fry. If we follow Feng Chan's team, we'll probably have to trek all the way on foot. If they need more people, we'll have to help carry goods and do chores. We won't get any enjoyment; it'll all be suffering. If you don't believe me, wait until you come back and then answer me."
Du Min's face fell. "Is this the real reason you refused?"
“On our way to Chang’an, we couldn’t even stand the boat ride. To go to Mount Tai for the Fengshan ceremony, we’ll have to travel by boat, cross rivers, and climb mountains. And the boat is so small, how can we stand it?” Du Li continued. “It’s an honor to accompany the emperor, but that honor belongs to the civil and military officials. What does it have to do with us? Even if your second sister-in-law goes, she won’t have a chance to show her face. It’s hard to say whether you’ll even get a chance to appear before the emperor.”
"This is an unparalleled honor! Can you two not be so short-sighted? When you go out in the future, you can say that you witnessed the sage performing the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai. How glorious that will be!" Du Min wished he could shake the couple awake by pressing their shoulders.
“I know, I know,” Meng Qing quickly said. “What I said to Minister Zheng was what I truly felt, and those words were the main reason.”
Du Min didn't understand. "Aren't you planning to leave Chang'an in the future? This free school isn't a place you'll stay for long. Is it worth going to such lengths? Or are you just trying to make a good impression on Minister Zheng?"
"Are you really that clueless? This charity school nominally affiliated with the Ministry of Rites is my real backer. Only if it thrives and survives, and its name resounds throughout the capital, will my Qingniao Paper Craft Charity School in other regions have influence, and only then will my name, Meng Qing, have value." Meng Qing stamped her foot. "Let me put it this way: this charity school can be called a king, and my charity schools in other regions are its offspring. If the king is deposed, will its offspring still have power?"
"I understand." Du Min finally understood. He said regretfully, "I'm going to be away for a year. I won't be used to you not being with me. Second sister-in-law, what if I make a mistake because I'm anxious if you don't keep an eye on me?"
“You want to pursue your official career, and I want to pursue my path to wealth.” Meng Qing refused to budge. “You won’t make any mistakes without me watching you. You know that, right?”
Du Min grunted twice.
Du Li was furious. "What are you humming about? Are you Wang Zhou? You're disgusting."
Du Min was already unhappy, and now he got angry too. He rolled up his sleeves and said provocatively, "Let's fight. I feel like you've been looking down on me for a long time, and I've been putting up with you for a long time too."
For a moment, Du Li felt guilty. He glanced at Meng Qing and then caught sight of Du Min rushing towards him out of the corner of his eye. He quickly took a step back to avoid her.
"Why are you hiding? It's not like you haven't been hit before. What? Trying to play innocent in front of my second sister-in-law?" Du Min deliberately provoked him.
Du Li was immediately enraged. He told Meng Qing to take Wang Zhou away and prepared to beat up Du Min.
"You two go find a secluded place to fight, don't set a bad example for my son," Meng Qing said sternly.
Du Li immediately stopped what she was doing. "I'm not fighting you."
Du Min also quieted down and left without saying a word.
Meng Qing glanced at Du Li a few times, but Du Li stood there with her head drooping, not uttering a sound.
Wang Zhou looked around with his head tilted back. He had learned from Meng Qing and didn't interrupt when he shouldn't. He pretended to be stupid and slipped away.
After a moment of silent stalemate between Meng Qing and Du Li, she went back to her room to write.
Du Li sighed deeply, then squatted down and held his head in distress.
"Dad," Wangzhou quietly slipped over, "let's take the geese to play in the water."
"I'm not going, I'm not in the mood," Du Li refused. "Wangzhou, your father has a question for you, answer honestly."
Wang Zhou was about to run away, but Du Li was faster, grabbing his leg and pulling him into his arms. He plopped down on the ground, pressing Wang Zhou onto his lap, and asked, "Won't you look down on your father for not being as successful as your third uncle?"
"No way."
"real?"
"Yes, Mother doesn't mind, and neither do I."
"How do you know your mother doesn't mind? Did she tell you?" Du Li's voice rose.
"If Mommy didn't like it, she wouldn't have kissed your lips, sob sob sob..."
Du Li's ears turned bright red. He covered Wang Zhou's mouth with one hand and slapped his bottom with the other, saying, "Don't talk nonsense. Who else did you tell?"
"Woo woo woo—" Wang Zhou cried out.
Du Li released her grip. "You didn't say anything to outsiders, did you?"
Wang Zhou shook his head, tugged at his clothes and swayed, humming, "It's too embarrassing, I won't say."
Du Li coughed twice. "Go have fun. This matter can't be brought up again."
"Do you want to come with me to herd geese?" Wang Zhou asked eagerly.
Du Li sighed helplessly, "Come on, I'll go with you."
Wang Zhou jumped up and exclaimed, "Dad, you're the best!"
Meng Qing heard this from inside the house and smiled.
Du Li accompanied Wang Zhou to the ferry to watch four geese playing in the water. They didn't return until it was almost dark. Just as they were about to go inside, they ran into Du Min, who was also returning with a jar of wine.
"Second Brother, come to my room for a drink tonight," Du Min said, taking the initiative to speak.
Du Li glanced at him twice, then said, "Okay."
Neither of the brothers told Meng Qing about the drinking, but they didn't hide it from her either. After dinner and washing up, Du Li carried a bowl of fried soybeans into Du Min's room.
"Mother, are my father and my third uncle going to fight?" Wangzhou asked.
"I won't fight." Meng Qing led him back into the house.
Du Li and Du Min had already started drinking. Du Min had bought sake, which was strong and burned their throats. The two brothers were grimacing as they drank, unable to swallow, but they kept drinking with their heads down.
Before he could finish the bowl, Du Min gave up. He took the bowl to the window and poured the remaining wine out, saying, "It's fucking awful."
"You don't have money to buy good wine?" Du Li asked.
"I did it on purpose, just to make you suffer." Du Min walked to the bedside and sat down. He stared at Du Li and asked, "Second brother, why have you been keeping such a long face in front of me these past few months?"
Du Li chewed on two soybeans without replying.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com